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THE LESSONS OF OBAMACARE WEEK ONE — The administration has time to fix the glitches that plagued the exchanges all week long — but it doesn’t have forever. If things don’t smooth out by November, the White House might lose the chance to build confidence in them. That’s just one lesson that came out of Week One of Obamacare. Other lessons? A lot of people are visiting the site — but not everyone is signing up. Not all the problems are caused because of volume. And it’s become clear that the administration needed more time to build the exchanges. Our Pro team explains more: http://politi.co/1a65pZw

Hello, PULSE readers. We’d say happy Friday — but that doesn’t seem quite fitting at the end of this absolutely bizarre week. The government is closed. The insurance exchanges are still glitch-filled. And shots were fired on Capitol Hill yesterday. Here’s to a calmer day … someday.

“I feel the PULSE in my soul, it’s something, Lord, I can’t control.”

YOUR DAILY SHUTDOWN UPDATE — Day Four of the government shutdown, Senate Democrats are hoping to raise the debt ceiling and reopen the government all at once. Of course, the deal still couldn’t involve Obamacare defunding. House Speaker John Boehner is also thinking along the lines of tying the continuing resolution to raising the debt ceiling — and getting a large-scale budget deal out of the mix. He just doesn’t know how he’s going to do it. POLITICO stories here: http://politi.co/1dY6aqx And here: http://politi.co/1a2qmVa

KENTUCKY HUMMING ALONG — If there were a prize for getting the exchanges running smoothly, Kentucky would be banking right now. While residents of other states still struggle to enroll, Kentucky’s exchange is humming right along after some initial glitches. So far it’s gotten 118,000 unique visitors, pre-screened almost 109,000 people and started nearly 13,000 insurance applications. Of those, 3,505 are complete. Maybe Kynect and HealthCare.gov should meet for coffee. The release: http://1.usa.gov/15LIC85

CHAD HENDERSON’S 15 MINUTES OF OBAMACARE FAME — Obamacare was so miry on its first day that achieving enrollment has made 21-year-old Georgia resident Chad Henderson semi-famous. He was one of the few who actually managed to sign up for coverage on Tuesday, as most other people found themselves blocked by snags on the exchange websites. Now, reporters are clogging Henderson’s voicemail, pro-Obamacare forces are holding him up as the promise of the law and administration officials are giving him shout-outs on Twitter. Henderson told us all the attention is “a huge honor” and “a major blessing.” The Pro story: http://politico.pro/16IVJaY

R’S HIT D’S OVER HELPING KIDS WITH CANCER — On their third day of refusing to fund the Affordable Care Act — and reopen the government in the process — Republicans tried to make Democrats look as though they’re ignoring children with cancer. Senate Majority Leader Reid is refusing to advance a bill funding the National Institutes of Health, which the House passed as part of their ongoing piecemeal funding approach. The measure would allow NIH to resume processing new research trial grants for critical cancer patients.

— Republicans responded with emotion-tinted pleas. “Don’t take hope away from those families, don’t take hope away from those moms,” said Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.). “Let us help people. Let us help children, please,” said Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.). The Pro story: http://politico.pro/157KiGp

“OBAMACARE” IS A LOVING TERM? — The term “Obamacare” was first used by Republicans disparaging the law, but now it’s used “lovingly,” according to White House adviser Valerie Jarrett. The Affordable Care Act is “lovingly known to many as Obamacare,” she wrote yesterday on the popular women’s blogging network “BlogHer.” http://bit.ly/1g87vNv

PULSE LYRICS

Monday: “This Too Shall Pass” by OK Go

Tuesday: “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones

Wednesday: “Uprising” by Muse

Thursday: “Shut Down” by the Beach Boys

Friday: “Still Unbroken” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

** Breakaway is ready for Obamacare. Are you? Our policy wonks are analyzing every nook and cranny of state exchanges, Medicaid expansions, ACO’s, Medicare cuts, and much more. We’re looking to 2014, and beyond. And we’re helping Fortune 500 companies and other health care stakeholders navigate the uncharted territory ahead. http://www.BreakawayPolicy.com **

MOSTASHARI TO JOIN BROOKINGS — One of our fav health geeks is joining Brookings’ Engelberg Center for Health Reform as a visiting fellow. Farzad Mostashari, outgoing health IT coordinator for HHS, will work on the Accountable Care Organization Learning Network, a Brookings-Dartmouth project. Also joining Brookings: Darshak Sanghavi, recent chief of pediatric cardiology and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

WHEN THE INTERNET FAILS, DO IT THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY — The error-ridden online enrollment process has led some Obamacare advocates to encourage people to use paper applications instead, Enroll America President Anne Filipic told reporters on a conference call yesterday. Like the White House, she blamed the problems on heavy interest. But the call did feature two people who have managed to enroll despite the website breakdowns — as well as Clint Murphy, a former Republican congressional aide who’s become a prominent supporter of the law.

ENROLLEE PROFILE: LESLIE FOSTER — Those who have succeeded in enrolling in exchange coverage are few and far between, but news outlets are still tracking some of them down. Leslie Foster is a 28-year-old freelance filmmaker in Hollywood who makes about $20,000 a year. He enrolled in a plan at 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The premium costs $213 a month, but with the help of subsidies, he’ll be paying $62. The Wall Street Journal tells his story: http://on.wsj.com/1dXUVOO

FIRST CASE OF FLU IDENTIFIED — The weather is still warm but we got a reminder today that flu season is approaching. Maryland confirmed its first case — the first we’ve heard this season — which was detected in a child living in the Washington suburbs. Of course, at the same time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stopped surveillance of flu due to the government shutdown. Maybe restoring CDC funding is the next mini spending bill the House will pass. The Baltimore Sun: http://bsun.md/1dYhq65

MCCLELLAN: EXCHANGE TROUBLE COULD BE FORGOTTEN ENTIRELY — If the exchanges’ tech problems are resolved by November, no one will even remember what happened this week, according to Mark McClellan, former CMS administrator under President George W. Bush. He compared rollout to when the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit took effect:

— Millions of seniors in different programs were enrolled into new drug plans, and the computer system fumbled the handoff for tens of thousands of people who really urgently needed their prescriptions, he said. By comparison, the frustration of not being able to shop online in the first days of the Obamacare exchanges is small potatoes, he suggested.

WENDY DAVIS ANNOUNCES GUBERNATORIAL RUN — Wendy Davis, the Texas state senator who filibustered an abortion bill for 11 hours, announced yesterday that she’ll run for governor. She’ll face off against the state’s attorney general, Republican Greg Abbott. It’s sure to be a tough race for Davis, considering 1995 was the last time Texas had a Democrat as governor. The POLITICO story: http://politi.co/1747eTM

WHAT WE’RE READING, By Abby McIntyre

Insurers say they are getting enrollment through the exchanges but describe it a “trickle rather than a wave.” The Wall Street Journal reports on Day Three: http://on.wsj.com/174UAnB

The Wall Street Journal also reports that D.C. will have to stop making Medicaid payments until the government shutdown is resolved: http://on.wsj.com/18V6hzY

NPR wonders how insurance brokers are finding relevancy in the Obamacare era: http://n.pr/18yUats

The New York Times’s editorial board calls out states rejecting Medicaid expansion for leaving a poor, vulnerable population with neither health insurance nor tax subsidies to buy it: http://nyti.ms/1a4KYvS

Potential enrollees in Covered California won’t be able to use a tool on the site to search whether their doctor is included in the health plans for sale until at least Monday, the L.A. Times reports: http://lat.ms/17yOj7Z

Kaiser Health News tells the story of a young-at-heart invincible who’s getting coverage — Medicaid — because of the health law: http://bit.ly/15Lk2En

The Washington Post’s Michael Gerson argues that Republicans should be helping Obamacare along toward its demise but instead they’re mixing their metaphors: http://wapo.st/15LuwDO

** Breakaway Policy Strategies provides data-driven policy analysis, sophisticated strategies and customized business solutions to help biopharmaceutical and device companies, hospitals, health plans, employers, foundations and other health care stakeholders thrive in the midst of enormous health reform challenges. Our team of lawyers, insurance experts, budget analysts and policy wonks makes sure that clients stay on top of federal health care laws, regulations, and breaking developments. But we go way beyond simply providing information and analysis. Breakaway helps clients understand what policy and marketplace changes mean for them and how they can shape the future. For more information, visit http://www.BreakawayPolicy.com. A partnership with inVentiv Health. **